CHERUB: Collins
by bobdat
Summary: A short story about a CHERUB training exercise. OCxAmy. (Written for user A Shadow in Chains).


**CHERUB: Collins**

_North York Moors, November 2000_

Day five of the combined survival training course dawned as freezing cold as the previous four. The moment there was a sliver of sun on the horizon, CHERUB's head training instructor, Norman Large, leant back in his deckchair and sounded a large klaxon, intended for use on military submarines. It blasted at more than ninety decibels, loud enough to have the ten agents scrambling out of their tents with their hands clapped over their ears.

"Good morning Cherubs," Large said sweetly, putting down the klaxon. "Rise and shine, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."

Every single one of the kids present had a few insults they wished they could hurl at Large, but they kept their mouths shut and stood to attention in front of their tents.

"Today you will be following the coordinates on your maps to the next checkpoint. Along the route you may find some other challenges; on the other hand, you might not. Anyone who fails to complete every challenge will fail the course. Understand?"

A chorus of 'Yes sir's followed his words.

Large stood up, folding up his deckchair and stowing it into the 4x4 the training instructors used to ferry their equipment around. Miss Smoke was under the bonnet, apparently doing some repair work.

Griffin Draig was thirteen years old with long, spiky black hair which hung in limp strands since he didn't have his hair gel with him. He was only on the course because he'd lost his temper on the paintball range and blasted someone from less than the minimum range. Everyone did it occasionally, but he'd had the bad luck to get caught by an instructor. His partner was Liam Wolf, a black-shirt two years older than him who loved picking on younger Cherubs. The only problem was that while Griffin was tall for his age, Liam could carry twice as much weight and that was what mattered on the exercise.

"Get a damn move on, Griffin," Liam said, shoving a bundle of tent poles into Liam's stomach hard enough to wind him. "Large might not have told us to get moving but you can bet he'll be back in a minute to make sure we are."

Griffin started stuffing the tent into Liam's backpack, not answering back in case Liam turned on him. While Liam was a bully, he'd been on enough exercises to know how they worked and he'd saved Griffin's skinny butt more times than he could remember.

All of the other agents were still taking their time over breakfast or boiling some water for a wash when Large returned, his giant head turning red. Griffin and Liam were almost packed and ready to go, but Griffin was still trying to cram the material from the tent into Liam's bag and they didn't move fast enough.

"Every single one of you who has not left in thirty seconds will have to leave all of their unpacked equipment behind and sleep in the open tonight," he bawled, giving everyone a jolt. "Chop chop!"

Nearly everyone managed to grab their tents and jog away in time to avoid Large's punishment, except for a girl Griffin's age called Amy Collins. He'd only spoken to her twice, both during Spanish lessons, but she had pretty blonde hair and lots of guys were always after her. Her partner on the exercise had broken her ankle on the first day and been sent back to campus, which left Amy having to carry all of the equipment. She couldn't pack it all fast enough by herself and ended up catching Large's boot, which sent her sprawling.

"Get moving," Large screamed in her face, picking her up and throwing her in the direction of everyone else.

She'd managed to cling onto her tent and most of her equipment, but her dry firewood and her sleeping bag were still on the ground with Large grinding his boots into them.

Griffin felt bad for her as she jogged past, tears streaming down her cheeks, but everyone was on the end of Large's bullying occasionally and the exercise didn't leave much time for compassion.

Their route that day wound around the base of a low hill and headed north on the other side. Liam focused on navigating, which left Griffin free to search for their dinner. All of the agents had been given high-energy chocolate bars to last them the week and prevent them from starving, but it wasn't enough to complete the course so they had to supplement it with local wildlife or plants. Catching animals was difficult on the move, so Griffin stuck mostly to looking for edible berries or plants which he could stuff into his pockets and boil later on. It tasted disgusting but it was better than nothing.

"We've gotta head cross-country here," Liam said, marking the map with a pencil. "The checkpoint is on the other side of a small river, but we've got to head for the bridge which is marked on here. We should arrive sometime mid-afternoon."

Griffin gave Liam a handful of edible flowers which he forced down in one swallow, followed by a giant gulp of his water bottle.

"That's foul," he said, leading Griffin off the slight path they were following.

"Not my fault there's sod all to eat around here," Griffin replied bitterly.

Usually all of the agents spread out as the day wore on, a result of moving at different speeds and on slightly different routes, so Griffin was surprised to see the tell-tale khaki backpack of another agent leaning against some dead heather up ahead.

Its owner didn't seem to be around, and Liam was strolling towards it with an eye on some loot when Griffin spotted Amy sitting near it, her boot off while she massaged her foot.

"What's up?" he asked, pausing for a moment next to her. Liam tutted but took the chance to drink some more water and rest.

"Stood on something… I think it was a nail or something, went right through the sole of my boot," Amy said, showing him a bloody bandage wrapped around the ball of her foot.

"Looks painful," Griffin replied, examining the hole in her boot.

"I'll probably be able to walk on it," Amy said, trying her weight and grimacing.

"Leave her, we've got to get moving," Liam complained, giving Griffin a push. "Not my problem if she fails."

Griffin scowled at Liam as Amy laced up her boot. "We could probably help her, even if it's just for today."

Liam ignored him and set off again, leaving him behind.

"I'll be fine," Amy said, brushing some hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. She took a few steps with her pack on, but it was a slow pace and Griffin knew she was in too much pain.

"If you say it's too serious to carry on, they'll send you back to campus," he said gently, letting her lean on his shoulder.

Amy shook her head. "They'll just sign me up for the next one, and after four days complete I'm not giving up."

"Then give me some of your equipment. I'll carry it to the checkpoint for you," he offered, stopping and unzipping his pack. "Liam carries the heavy stuff anyway."

Giving him a grateful look, Amy started transferring heavy tent poles into his bag. "I really owe you one."

"Don't mention it," Griffin said. "I'd better go; if I lose Liam, I'll probably get lost and die or something."

Amy was still hobbling so he jogged away, leaving her to find her own way. Liam wasn't too far ahead, but when he caught up, he got a smack in the side of the head which sent him flying.

"Why bother helping her? If you get hurt and drop out, I'll be stuck by myself and I'll give your arse the kicking of a lifetime when I get back to campus," Liam threatened, bunching a fist. "Just try me."

Griffin picked himself up. "I was just trying to be nice."

"Well less being nice and more passing the course. I have no problem punching you out," Liam said nastily, carrying on walking and leaving Griffin, who had no choice but to follow a few seconds later.

On each of the previous days there had been occasional obstacles or challenges set up by the instructors along the route, which each agent had to complete before moving on. If you went off the route, you could miss one and end up failing, so it meant that navigation was essential. The only problem was that despite walking all day and only being twenty minutes from the checkpoint, neither Griffin or Liam had spotted any challenges.

"Maybe there weren't any," Griffin suggested. "The instructors would do that just to mess with us."

Liam stared at the map. "I'm sure we didn't go off the path anywhere. Did you see anything at all?"

"No, I'm telling you. Nothing."

Liam shrugged. "Maybe you're right and there really is nothing. Our best bet is to find someone else and ask if they found one."

Everyone had slightly different courses to prevent teamwork, which meant that this wasn't a sound idea, but it didn't seem likely that everyone else would have had a challenge while Liam and Griffin didn't, so Griffin just went along with it.

They climbed up a rise which gave them a good view over the surrounding area and gave their first glimpse of the checkpoint and the rest that awaited. A river, about twenty metres wide, was still in the way, but it looked shallow.

Griffin and Liam weren't the first agents to reach the river, but Large was waiting for them with a broad grin.

"Find the bridge, did you?" he asked with obvious glee.

Liam checked the map. "It's supposed to be opposite the checkpoint, but I can't see it anywhere. Maybe the map is wrong?"

Large was almost bouncing with happiness. "The map _was_ right, when they drew it thirty years ago. There's been no bridge there for more than a decade, so it looks like you'll be wading across."

Liam looked at the river and shrugged. "Can't be that deep."

Griffin thought that there would be a catch, but there were already some agents on the far bank, so whatever it was, he could handle it. He pulled off his pack and lifted it above his head, copying Liam as they carefully started stepping on the stony riverbed and heading for the far bank.

It was no deeper than knee-height most of the way, and despite a few slippery bits of weed, not very difficult to walk through. Only in the middle did it deepen to chest-height, but it was only five metres and Griffin and Liam were climbing the far bank before long, shivering in their wet clothes.

"I think the idea was to get us wet so we'd have to dry out," Griffin guessed, pulling off his shirt.

Liam nodded. "Dry yourself with whatever you can find, like the tent fabric or whatever, then we'll hang the clothes up. It should be fairly warm in the tent if we both stay in there."

Amy appeared just before the deadline and managed to get through the river without too much pain. Griffin handed her back her equipment while she re-dressed her foot with a dry bandage.

"Thanks," she said, looking up at him. "I'd probably have dropped out without you."

Griffin shrugged. "I'd want someone to do it for me."

Since everyone had arrived, Large and Smokes spent some time busying themselves on the far bank over the river. With nothing else to do, everyone watched them, watching a group of metal targets taking shape up against a large bank of soil.

"Okay then," Large said, rubbing his hands together. "Here's your last challenge of the day. In exactly an hour it will be dusk. Before then, you all need to open the metal cases you've been carrying in your packs and assemble the firearms you'll find inside. Anyone who does not get five successful hits on the targets from this side of the river fails the course."

Griffin was used to the instructors' surprises and everyone had discovered the guns way back on day one. It didn't seem like a particularly difficult challenge, but when he examined the targets more closely, he realised that there was a problem.

"There's no way my gun is any good at that range," he told Liam, pulling the case out of his pack. "It's a crappy little revolver."

Liam had a hunting rifle, which was much better suited, but it only had six bullets.

"I'll give you the spare shot if I get five hits," Liam shrugged. "Can't do much else."

The range was easily a hundred and fifty yards, which even a pro would find difficult with a revolver. Griffin cursed his luck, wondering why he was doomed to fail right from the start.

"Feeling frustrated, poppet?" Large asked, patting Griffin on the head. "What a terrible shame."

Griffin was fuming, but he assembled the gun regardless and loaded his six shots. If everyone had six bullets, he might be able to scrounge enough goes with better guns to get five, but it was relying on nearly everyone else. Anything was better than giving up, so he walked over to Amy, who was working on assembling a long-barrelled rifle with optical scope, making her five hits an easy prospect.

"They can't possibly just fail you for no reason," Amy said. "Maybe the gun is modified for better accuracy or something?"

Griffin shook his head. "Looks regular to me."

Amy nodded. "Well, take your shots first. If you don't get five, I'll give you my gun. I'm close to failing anyway."

"You've got a good chance-" Griffin began, but Amy wasn't having any of it.

Griffin had to make the most of the light while it lasted, so he went straight over to the closest point he could find and laid out prone on the ground, revolved resting in front of him. The nearest target was still over a hundred yards, but he only needed a hit, not a bullseye, so he felt a little more confident. They did firearms training in basic, so he went through the motions of checking the wind speed and range, then slowed down his breathing and took aim.

He'd been one of the best sharpshooters in basic, but he wasn't surprised when his first shot missed, crashing into the soil in front of the target. Steadying himself, his second shot ricocheted off the edge of the target, counting as a hit, then the third hit it square. Someone fired what sounded like a shotgun just as he took his fourth, causing him to miss, but he made his fifth after a few moments of careful breathing.

"Four hits," he said, disappointed.

Amy beamed at him. "That's okay! You only need one more and I've got six shots; it's impossible to miss with this thing, so you can have my spare."

This fact dawned on Griffin and he laughed. "Thank God."

He didn't even need to lie down to use Amy's rifle, it was so easy. He passed the shot straight through the middle of the target and handed the rifle back, pleased with himself, but a split-second later he found himself tumbling into the river after something hit him hard in the chest.

"Did I forget to mention? Using another agent's gun is strictly prohibited," Large said, hauling him out of the water. "I won't fail you for it, but you will be punished. Grab your gun; you'll be crossing the river ten times and if even a drop of water touches the gun, you're disqualified."

Griffin shrugged. His gun was light, so he picked it up without much interested and headed for the narrowest stretch of river.

Large took one look at the gun and laughed.

"That's not a gun, it's a peashooter. Take your partner's."

Heart sinking, Griffin went over to Liam and retrieved the rifle, which was much heavier. It wasn't as heavy as his pack, but he'd have to hold it above his head to cross the deepest stretch and it would be easy to tire after a long day and drop it.

"Do me a favour, Liam, start heating up dinner?" Griffin asked.

Liam laughed cruelly. "I'll make my own, but I'm not your wife."

"Come on, by the time I'm finished I'll be starving," Griffin moaned.

"Not a chance. It's not gonna make you fail, so I don't care," Liam said. "It's your fault you got punished, not mine."

"It's not exactly hard," Griffin said, getting angry.

Liam just grabbed Griffin and pulled him into a headlock. "What part of _I don't care_ are you having trouble with?" He rapped his knuckles on Griffin's head with each word.

Face burning, Griffin pushed Liam off. "Leave me alone," he shouted, swinging the butt of the rifle so it connected hard with Liam's leg, leaving him howling in pain.

"You're going to pay," Liam growled, grabbing Griffin before he could get away. Liam was stronger and bigger, so Griffin tried desperately to get away, but he couldn't avoid a couple of brutal punches in the ribs that crippled him, his legs folding under him as he fell onto the ground.

"Break it up," Large said firmly, pulling Liam off Griffin. "Both of you, twenty river crossings. Draig, give Wolf his gun back. I'll get you someone else's."

Griffin threw the gun towards Liam, but his partner just sneered and snatched it up before heading for the river, getting a head start to humiliate Griffin further.

Amy's gun was even heavier than Liam's, but Griffin said nothing as he stripped down to his undies and began crossing the river, his side aching where Liam had punched him. Twenty crossings was going to kill his legs and leave him stiff in the morning, but he didn't complain because Liam had already done his first crossing.

It was pitch black by the time Griffin was done, his legs aching. As expected, Large didn't bother to check the state of the gun when he stepped out of the river for the last time and headed for the tent. He didn't want to face Liam, but his anger had cooled over the last hour and he was just glad to get a good night's sleep.

"Hey," a voice said as he headed for his tent. They'd been up early so he'd expected everyone to be either asleep or staying warm in their tents. He shivered in his damp boxers as he looked around for whoever was talking to him.

"This way," the voice continued, and this time he realised it was Amy's voice. She grabbed his arm and pulled him off behind the instructors' 4x4.

"Eat this," she said, pushing a high-energy bar into his hand. "It'll help you feel better in the morning."

Impossibly grateful, Griffin tore the wrapper off and ate half of it in one bite. "Thank you so much," he said once he'd chewed enough of it to be understood.

"You helped me out today," Amy replied. Griffin couldn't see where she was; there was no moon and it was especially dark behind the vehicle. All he was aware of was a vague dark shape.

"Don't worry about it," Griffin said, tucking into the second half.

Amy waited until he was finished eating before taking the wrapper back off him.

"You'd better go, we'll get punished if we're not in our tents," Griffin told her, wishing his underwear wasn't so wet and cold.

Before he could react, Amy moved towards him and he felt her warm lips on his cheek, then his lips. He kissed her back automatically, his hands moving through the dark to try and put his arms around her back, but the kiss was over as soon as it had begun and Amy disappeared silently, leaving him standing alone.

"Bloody hell," he grinned, all of the day's trials melting away.

He made his way back to the tent, where Liam was studying the map by the light of a cigarette lighter.

"You look happy," the older agent said, not bothering to move as Griffin zipped the tent up behind him. "Something happen?"

Griffin shook his head. "Nothing. Just glad we're nearly finished."


End file.
